Corruption

Corruption is universal. It affects all regions of the world and all levels of society, but the impact is greatest in developing countries.

If left unchecked, corruption will undermine political, social and economic stability, ultimately threatening the safety and security of society as a whole.

Corruption creates a fertile ground for organized criminal activities, even terrorism, as criminals are aided in their illegal activities by the complicity of corrupt public officials.

Economic globalization has made corruption a borderless crime. The competitive world of international business can leave companies exposed to bribes and fraudulent financial practices. Corrupt transactions can cross multiple jurisdictions, making the ensuing police investigation time-consuming and complex.

What INTERPOL does

The ability to coordinate global action is vital for the world’s police and judicial systems. INTERPOL’s initiatives include:

﻿Operational support: We can coordinate working meetings between member countries in order to facilitate investigations that cover more than one jurisdiction, while Corruption Response Teams can be rapidly deployed to support investigations in the field.

Partners

The complexities of international corruption require a multi-sector and cross-border response. As such, we work closely with a number of partners to fight corruption globally. Activities include promoting the exchange of information, establishing best practices and providing training to officers around the globe. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) sets out an international framework invaluable in the fight against corruption and serves as a guide to many of our initiatives.

Events

As part of our projects and partnerships, we take part in and organize a number of corruption-related events, such as conferences, meetings and training workshops, involving our partners, contact points, member countries, prosecutors and investigators.